Martick’s Restaurant Francais is a unique restaurant, which many people come to thinking one way, but leave thinking the complete opposite. It is located on Mulberry Street between North Howard and Park Avenue, which is a one-way street going westward, so you may need to round the block before getting onto the right block. It is located in a neighborhood which is fine during the day but can get a little rough at night. The building which looks old and dilapidated, many people pass and do not think of as a restaurant and assume it is a bad restaurant because of its trappings. Due to the surrounding neighborhood, there is a doorbell which you have to ring to get inside. As soon as you ring it, the mailslot to the left of the door opens and the door opens. The interior can be called kitsch, eclectic or weird, but it is authentic. The building which was owned by Morris Martick (the owners) parent’s was originally a speakeasy that fronted as a grocery store during prohibition, and retains the original lamps, tile floor and bar. The walls are covered in a snakeskin-pattern wallpaper while the roof is black-painted tin. Morris Martick lives inside the house, does all the cooking by himself upstairs and is helped by waiters as well as his sister, Rose who calls him “Marty.” Besides doing all the cooking, the octogenarian Morris picks up all the ingredients daily in his pickup truck and will not cook a meal if the ingredients are not fresh or available. Various antique wooden French statues line the walls, and a large Espresso machine from the 1890’s, which can still operate occupy space inside the restaurant. Morris Martick was born inside this house, and ran it as a bar populated with the beat-crowd during the 50’s and 60’s, until he became fed up by behavior brought on by alcohol and he went to France returning in 1970, to open the first French restaurant in Baltimore. Various internet sites say that the dress code is jacket and tie, but when we called he said that casual was fine, so before you go, ask Mr. Martick what the dress code should be. Due to the surrounding area, most diners come at 6 or 7pm. The specialties are the pate, the sweet potato soup, rack of lamb, bouillabaise and the profiteroles. You must visit this restaurant before it closes as it is one of Baltimore’s only remaining institutions as the Chesapeake, Marconi’s, Haussner’s all have closed. Mr. Martick’s complains about cooking to his sister, Rose, the waitress, but she insists he will do nothing else. However, he is 85 and life tends to shorten at that age, but his cooking continues to be the best French cook, if not best cook in the city.

Going to Paris and not going to Angelina would be like going to New York City and not getting a slice of pizza. Located in the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli opposite the Louvre, it has been serving hot chocolate and pastries for almost 100 years. Angelina with gilt, marble covered tables and the copious amounts of mirrors creates an atmosphere that is not stuffy at all. Even with the opulent interior, casual attire is fine but business casual often receives you better service. Angelina serves breakfast, lunch and light dinner and is a great respite from the crowds and pushing of the nearby Louvre. It is difficult to get a table from about 12pm on, but if you arrive early, a table is often available for the taking. The L’chocolat Africains (6.80 eur), a thick hot chocolate is the special here as well as an accompanying Mont Blanc (8.60 eur).

This brasserie, called by some the best in Paris, has had a big reputation. Ernest Hemingway was the first man to drink here, after its liberation in 1944, and the owner, before it was purchased, used to choose who would get a table and who wouldn’t. The restaurant has character, as the sign on the door says “no shorts” in English, which is definitely designated towards Americans. The specialty is the choucroute garnie, which is a mixture of ham, bacon and sausages over sauerkraut and potatoes.

Laduree, the Parisian café has three locations throughout Paris, two are antique and one is modern. I went to the modern one, which is located on the Champs-Elysees. It is located on the ground floor of a building that had scaffolding and hid most of the beautiful exterior. The restaurant’s color was mint-green and used dark wood and gilt, where green would not be appropriate. The specialties of the café were the pastries and without a doubt, were the best that I had in Paris. This café seems to be the most popular for tourists, especially those from Asian countries who have seemed to have built a following for Laduree.

As another restaurant by the Tony Foreman/Cindy Wolf syndicate, Petit Louis attempts and succeeds to replicate a traditional Parisian bistro by using decor and food. The walls are either covered in mirrors or vintage French posters while the floor is tiled. There is a zinc bar in the front part of the restaurant as well as large wine racks on the back side. The food is traditional French bistro fare complimented with excellent service and friendly waiters. The prices of the food range in the low $20’s, which is refreshing due to the overpriced nature of some French restaurants in the US.

All meals at Petit Louis come first with a butter croissant, a refreshing alternative to the usually stale bread and tasteless butter at many other restaurants.